Minister of Gender Equality's Remarks on 'Gender Sensitivity' Stir Controversy, What Are Your Thoughts?

Minister Lee Jung-ok of the Ministry of Gender Equality "Opportunity for Gender Sensitivity Learning" Remarks Controversy
Victim of Oh Keo-don Case "Am I a Learning Material? Shocked"
"Resign Minister Protecting Perpetrator" vs "Not Enough to Replace Minister"

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok is attending the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee on the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporters Seunggon Han and Yeongeun Kim] Criticism continues from various human rights, women's, and victim organizations as well as within the political sphere regarding Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jung-ok's remarks about a 'learning opportunity for gender sensitivity.' While calls for the minister's resignation and even demands for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are being mentioned, some argue that resignation and abolition are excessive and defend the minister.

On the 5th, during the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee's comprehensive policy questioning, Minister Lee Jung-ok stated regarding next year's by-elections for the Seoul and Busan mayoral offices, "I think that through incidents requiring large budgets, the entire nation has an opportunity for collective learning about gender sensitivity."

Given that next year's by-elections are being held due to the resignation of metropolitan mayors from the Democratic Party of Korea?former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don and the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon?both accused of sexual harassment, criticism of the minister's remarks has followed.

The female victim of the Oh Keo-don sexual harassment case expressed through the Oh Keo-don Sexual Violence Incident Joint Countermeasures Committee on the 5th, "Calling the Oh Keo-don case a collective learning opportunity? Then am I a study material?" She added, "If there were even a tiny bit of interest in how I live, such words would never be spoken." She further said, "How can a Minister of Gender Equality and Family treat my life as a means?" and "I was so shocked and disgusted after watching the video that I even vomited all the food I had eaten," expressing her outrage.

Meanwhile, voices criticizing the minister's words and actions are pouring in from victim organizations and the political world.

On the same day, the Oh Keo-don Sexual Violence Incident Joint Countermeasures Committee, composed of 290 women's human rights organizations nationwide centered around the Busan Sexual Violence Counseling Center, urged the minister's resignation, stating, "According to that logic, does it mean that Oh Keo-don and the late Mayor Park Won-soon, accused of sexual violence, are teachers who taught the entire nation gender sensitivity?"

Additionally, the 'Joint Action on the Seoul Mayor's Power Sexual Violence Incident,' including the Korean Women's Hotline, issued a statement saying, "The public knows. The one who needs to learn is the Minister of Gender Equality and Family. The government and ruling party are the ones who have not learned." They also demanded that the government and ruling party take responsibility for unresolved sexual violence by elected local government heads and immediately stop secondary victimization in sexual violence cases within the political sphere and prepare countermeasures.

In response to these voices, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Minister Lee expressed apologies. On the 7th, at the Women's Violence Prevention Committee, Minister Lee said, "I deeply regret causing concern to the victims and the public due to inappropriate remarks," adding, "I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart for unintentionally causing wounds to victims of sexual harassment and sexual violence cases, regardless of the original intention, and I will strive to become an institution that victims can trust and rely on in the future."

On the 10th, the full meeting of the Women and Family Committee held at the National Assembly was adjourned after Kim Jeong-jae, a member of the People Power Party, criticized Minister of Gender Equality and Family Lee Jeong-ok's remark on the "by-election as an opportunity for gender-sensitive group learning" and called for her resignation. Photo by Yonhap News

However, despite the minister's apology, the political repercussions have not subsided. On the 10th, a full meeting of the Gender Equality and Family Committee was held to review next year's budget, but it was disrupted after only 10 minutes due to opposition party protests that "they cannot receive a report from the minister."

Immediately after the budget was submitted that day, as Minister Lee attempted to take the podium, Kim Jeong-jae, chairman of the People Power Party's Special Committee on Sexual Violence Measures, criticized the minister's previous remarks as "deceiving women" and expressed that the budget review for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family could not proceed.

Chairman Kim stated, "Seeing the minister's attitude of protecting perpetrators and ignoring victims, I believe the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family no longer has any meaning to exist," and insisted, "The minister, who does not even seem to know what her position entails, should resign."

He continued, "We can no longer recognize this minister as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who has forgotten her duty to protect victims and prevent secondary harm," and demanded a recess, saying, "We cannot continue the budget review of the entire 1.2 trillion won budget of the Ministry with such a minister."

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Su-jin also agreed with the opposition's criticism, saying, "There is a strong perception that the minister is not showing responsibility as a minister," and added, "She needs to show a responsible attitude."

On the other hand, some respond that the criticism of the minister is excessive. On the 6th, Democratic Party lawmaker Seol Hoon said on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-seon's Starting New Morning,' "I think it was not a good expression, but it is not enough to replace the minister."

Lawmaker Seol explained, "Since the public's awareness of gender sensitivity is still at a low level, it seems the expression was used to emphasize that point," and added, "I think it is not appropriate to keep politicizing sexual violence issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.